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Tear Down Regulatory Barriers to Job Creation and Give Small Business Owners a 
                Voice in the Complex and Confusing Federal Regulatory Process
 
 The complex, confusing, and cumbersome maze of federal regulations 
                  costs small businesses 60 percent more per employee than it 
                  costs large businesses. Entrepreneurs cannot operate effectively 
                  in an environment of uncertainty and confusion. Such an environment 
                  makes entrepreneurs spend more time with their lawyers and accountants 
                  and less time with their customers. And compliance with these 
                  regulations can be very costly – averaging $7,000 per 
                  employee by one estimate. The President believes that the following 
                  proposals would improve the regulatory environment for entrepreneurs: 
                 Strengthen the SBA Office of Advocacy. The Small Business Administration 
                  Office of Advocacy should ensure that the interests of small 
                  businesses are fully considered when agencies begin crafting 
                  new regulations. Agencies should thoroughly review the potential 
                  impact of regulations on small businesses well before they submit 
                  new regulations to the Office of Management and Budget. To better 
                  ensure this outcome, the President will provide the Office of 
                  Advocacy with greater enforcement powers through an Executive 
                  Order. Under this order, the Office of Advocacy will have the 
                  power to compel agencies, if they fail to study the impact of 
                  a new regulation on small businesses, to explain in writing 
                  why they did not undertake a study. The Office of Advocacy would 
                  make these explanations public (consistent with applicable laws) 
                  and work with the OMB Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs 
                  (OIRA) to ensure that regulations are well prepared before they 
                  are submitted to OMB. Increase coordination between OIRA and the SBA Office of Advocacy. 
                  Today, the Office of Advocacy and OIRA are signing a memorandum 
                  of understanding that is designed to ensure that these two offices 
                  work closely together to ensure that agencies consider small 
                  business issues as early as possible in the regulation writing 
                  process.
 Allow small businesses to earn interest on their checking accounts. 
                  Due to outdated, depression-era laws, small businesses are not 
                  allowed to earn interest on their checking accounts. For many 
                  small businesses, the interest income on their checking account 
                  balances would defray other significant costs. The President 
                  believes that banks should be able to pay interest on small 
                  business checking accounts.
 Seek comments from small businesses on ways to improve regulations. 
                  The President has instructed the Director of the OMB to seek 
                  the views and comments of small businesses on existing federal 
                  government regulations, paperwork requirements, and guidance 
                  documents. Today, the OMB OIRA is announcing a 60-day public 
                  comment period under the Regulatory Right to Know Act. OIRA 
                  is also releasing the 2002 draft Report to Congress on the Costs 
                  and Benefits of Federal Regulations. This report focuses special 
                  attention on the needs and concerns of small businesses.
 Strengthen enforcement of the Regulatory Flexibility Act. The 
                  President has also instructed the Director of the OMB to work 
                  with the SBA Office of Advocacy to strengthen the enforcement 
                  of the Regulatory Flexibility Act. This Act requires agencies 
                  to prepare an analysis of the impact of new regulations on small 
                  businesses before they are put in place. OMB will send back 
                  to agencies any proposed rules that have not taken the impact 
                  on small businesses into serious consideration, as is required.
 
 
 
 
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